The Red Harvest touches upon things that I've researched throughout the years in my quest to understand humanity's darkness. I decided to write this story now seeing that the whole world has gone crazy.
If you're the religious type, then this story is not for you as the content will horrify you. If you've been a victim of abuse, then this story is not for you as you will get triggered with all the mindfuckery happening in the story. A few more things: I took inspiration from an episode of Supernatural (S1 Ep.11). The companion song for the next few chapters is Unnatural Selection by Muse. Tags will be added in AO3, expect the story to go from Mature to Explicit sooner rather than later. AO3 will host the original story in all its cruelest glory, might have a less intense version (I'm still debating on this since it takes extra time to edit content). Remember: "Once something is read, it can't be unseen."
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The asphalt sizzled; mirages materialized wherever Edward put his eyes on, the one exception being the golden hills seen in the distance, which glowed like the noon sun. His skin prickled. Edward looked at Winry wondering if she was feeling the sun in her skin too. He was sure she did seeing that her skin was fairer than his. Thankfully, the rushing wind kept them from cooking in the sweltering summer heat.
Having felt his gaze upon her, Winry turned her attention to Edward, a loving smile curled her rosy lips. Edward blushed. "What's the matter Mrs. Rockbell? can't keep your eyes off me?" Edward would say anything to keep his cool facade despite knowing that it wouldn't work on her. "Please!" Winry rolled her eyes. "It's you who can't keep his eyes of moi, Mr. Rockbell." Edward grinned. "You caught me!" he said as he raised his hands in surrender. A hearty laugh followed. Contrary to what most people assumed, it was he who decided to adopt the other spouse's name. His parents wouldn't object seeing they were not present in the flesh; people in Resembool couldn't care less, in fact, some'd expected this. Alphonse was the only one who "cared" but only so he could give Edward a hard time, the way younger brothers do. Winry, on the other hand, had been ecstatic about his decision, because it meant that the family business name would be kept alive.
Winry returned her attention to the road ahead. She brought one hand to her face and brushed away a lock of hair that got stuck to her face. She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel shortly after. Edward wondered why his wife didn't tie her hair back like he did, that way it wouldn't be bothering her while she drove. Perhaps Winry wanted to feel the wind in her hair, after all, they were driving a convertible, the latest model in the market, the wedding gift from the Armstrong family. Edward couldn't help but smile every time he went back to the moment when Alex Louise Armstrong parked the car in front of Granny's house. It was not only Alex who's been so generous with them, the entire town was too. Even key people in the military chimed in to make their wedding, and subsequent honeymoon, one he and Winry would never forget. From said "key people in the military" was, of course, Team Mustang. It'd been the lot of them who had the final word as to where they were going to stay for their honeymoon. Honestly, who would say "no" to an all-expenses paid, luxurious retreat? For once, the ragtag team had chosen well.
The Red Harvest was located in the northern part of Aurego, and according to Havoc, it was one of the most coveted honeymoon destinations. Havoc and Rebeca purposely delayed their own wedding for more than a year so they could spend their honeymoon in that place. How Havoc managed to get a spot for him and Winry was still enshrouded in mystery, Edward was going to ask him how he managed such feat once they got back home.
Edward opened the glove compartment and took out the road map. Somehow, he managed to open it despite the gusting winds.
The trip to The Red Harvest would take around eight hours starting from Resembool, and they recently passed through the border that separated South City from Aurego. "What time is it?" he asked Winry since he couldn't reach for his pocket watch without the map flying off. Winry looked at her wristwatch. "It's past two forty-five." Edward nodded in acknowledgment. He then returned his attention to the map, his mind already making calculations of the time left before they arrive at their destination. Edward's pulse suddenly accelerated as thoughts of what awaited them at The Red Harvest rushed to the front of his mind.
Abstaining from sex until they got married was one of the promises he and Winry made to each other the night Winry agreed to marry him. The choice hadn't been unusual seeing that both were kind of prudish, to begin with. *Tonight, everything changes,* Edward thought with an impish smile. Suddenly, Edward stiffened in his seat just as something else started stiffening. Edward shifted in his seat trying to hide his condition from Winry, but it was too late. He met Winry's wide-eyed stare with one of his own. Edward was preparing mentally for a sound scolding but instead, all he got was mocking laughter in return. "Do you want me to stop the car, Edward?" Winry said as she looked at the pitched tent in his pants. She looked up, and added, "I can take care of it right now if you like." Edward shuddered, both his mind and body becoming delighted by the offer. Pulling over was starting to sound like a great idea especially since they hadn't seen a car in the road for hours. But as thrilling as the offer sounded, Edward had other things in mind. He wanted their first time to be done the right way and the back of a convertible was not it—not yet, that is. They could certainly explore the possibility of having sex in the back of the convertible at a later date, for example, on their way back from their honeymoon—
Edward's thoughts careened off course when the car abruptly swiveled towards the right. He shot a panicked look at Winry; the sound of a car horn swishing past them finished startling him.
"Sorry! I got distracted," Winry cried while looking through the rearview mirror at the car she almost hit.
"You know this is your fault!" she said as she fixed a glare on Edward.
"My fault?" Edward spat, incredulous.
"Yes, your fault!" Winry cut him off.
"Care to elaborate?" Edward cut her back. "You—" Winry started but she cut herself short.
"You what?"
"Well…" Edward watched as a blush crept up her wife's face; it didn't take him long to catch on.
"So you got distracted because you liked what you saw, huh?" he couldn't help but tease. Winry's face was now glowing red hot.
"I could've crashed into that car!" The mortification in Winry's shrieking voice made Edward laugh hard.
"But we didn't, wifey, we didn't," he said moments later. Winry instantly pouted upon hearing those words. "Don't call me that," she grumbled, but there wasn't any real heat behind her words. Edward took a mental note regarding the possible pet name. He kept to himself after that.
They didn't speak a word for a long while. Winry kept driving while Edward spend his time looking at the moving scenery. He broke the silence when he saw the sign for The Red Harvest.
"We have another hour before we reach the villas," Edward said while checking the map. Finally, they were within reach of their final destination.
"I'm glad we waited," Winry said all of a sudden. Edward wondered if she was referring to what led to them to their near-crash or if she was referring to their promise. *Probably both,* Edward concluded.
Winry reached for his hand and squeezed it, Edward offered her a loving gaze in turn. "I can't wait for tonight," he said, and Winry grinned. "I know," she said in acknowledgment. Edward leaned closer to caress her cheek. "I love you Winry Rockbell." Winry took her eyes from the road for a moment. "I love you too, hubby," she said cheekily, and Edward chuckled.
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*THE RED HARVEST* Edward read to himself as he contemplated the red lettering composing the sign, wondering if the name had anything to do with the vineyards surrounding the complex.
"This place is named after our special flower." Edward turned around when he heard the feminine voice. He didn't see anyone right away but the movement below his line of sight told him the person wasn't dealing with an adult. Edward looked down, a young girl greeted him with a huge smile. Edward smiled in turn. "Rats!" he guffawed, "and here I thought I was the first person who pondered about the meaning of that sign." Apparently, the girl found him funny for she started giggling.
"Isabella! Stop pestering the guest!" Edward looked in the direction from where the new voice came from. He saw a boy walking their way who looked slightly older than the girl. The coloring and facial features of the boy resembled the girl's.
Winry approached them. "Hi there," she said to the girl then looked at the boy and offered him a kind smile. "We're the newlyweds coming from Resembool," she added as she looked around for an adult.
The girl's eyes sparkled with joy. "Oh, you're the special ones!" she cried with utter delight.
*Special ones?* Edward wondered why the girl would say something so odd.
"Pay no mind to my Bella." The third voice came from across the field. The woman heading their way greeted them with a smile. The woman turned her attention to the boy. "Antonio, fetch the couple's luggage and take it to their villa. The boy nodded once and left. "My children help me from time to time with the guests," the woman said as she turned to them. "Where are my manners?" she added, extending a hand to Edward. "My name is Catalina, and I'll be your hostess during your stay at The Red Harvest."
Edward shook Catalina's hand. "I'm Edward Rockbell," he said. He looked at Winry, and added, "this is my beautiful wife Winry."
"Beautiful indeed," Catalina said while shaking Winry's hand. "And such beautiful blue eyes!" the woman mentioned. "Yours are green, am I right?"
Catalina mustn't have a good sight otherwise she would've realized her mistake. Edward shrugged, having no reason to correct the error.
"This place is very quiet," Winry pointed out. Edward glanced around and could help but to agree.
"All of our guests and the majority of our employees are in town," Catalina answered rather tensely. Edward found this behavior strange. He was about to comment on this but the woman beat him to it. "We're a small town, signore Rockbell, and we're in the midst of preparations for our summer harvest celebration. My employees are simply setting up stalls for the festival, and the guests are just curious about the upcoming festivities."
"Edward, didn't you know about this?" Winry asked. Edward shook his head. "This whole thing was a wedding gift," he said, hoping the answer would satisfy Winry. It didn't.
"It's all good," the woman intruded, sensing Winry's displeasure. "Why don't you go into town and see for yourselves?"
Edward considered it for a moment but concluded that there was no rush to go into town. He was more interested in spending the rest of the day with Winry in their honeymoon villa.
"The facilities are not quite ready yet," Catalina mentioned as if reading Edward's thoughts. Edward didn't like this at all. He opened his mouth to say something regarding the matter, but apparently, Catalina wasn't having any of it. "You are treasured guests," she pressed on, her eyes crinkling as she looked from Edward to Winry. "Your stay will be quite magical, I assure you. The honeymoon package you signed up for, includes a private dinner, and as I said before, most of our staff is in town, so we're running a bit behind. Our chef is working by himself but he will finish the banquet by sunset."
Edward grumbled in annoyance. He turned to Winry whose look of resignation told him to go along with it. "How about grabbing some coffee in town while we wait for dinner?" he said, finally caving in.
"¡Favoloso! You will not regret it!" Catalina clapped in delight. Edward smiled tensely, somewhat creeped out by the woman's reaction. He took Winry by the hand and headed to the parking lot. "You'll reach the town after ten minutes driving on this road," the woman yelled. Edward glanced over his shoulder and thanked the woman with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you very much!" Winry yelled back.
Catalina waved. "My pleasure, signora!"
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The Auregan town of Benevolo fitted the textbook definition of quaint. Benevolo was indeed picturesque with its small shops and bistros, and like Catalina pointed out back at The Red Harvest, it was lively. Tourists like themselves filled the streets while the townspeople manned the shops. As they walked, Edward and Winry watched how a group of people erected a wooden panel that would become part of a festivity stand. Edward wondered if those were the men who are part of the crew of The Red Harvest.
"Oh! That shop has cannolis!" Winry cried. Apparently, Winry read in a magazine that the cannoli was the Auregian dessert to have if you were visiting the country. They both walked up to the window. Edward wasn't interested in cannolis, but he would definitely go for baklava. The dessert wasn't a local delicacy and made it more enticing. "Let's go in," Edward said as he grabbed Winry by the hand.
Both the coffee and the desserts hadn't been all that bad. Winry seemed satisfied and that was all that mattered to Edward. They decided to do an art walk after their coffee break; the locals mentioned that the art market was located at the very end of Main Street.
Once they reached their destination, Winry took off to see the automail on display. How automail was considered art baffled Edward.
He decided to walk around for a bit then find a bench to sit on and wait for Winry to satisfy her freakish automail fetish. As he walked through the market, Edward couldn't help but notice that each stall had the same kind of trinkets on display. The motif seemed to be a couple. Some trinkets had the couple painted in red while others had the couple painted in white but they were surrounded by odd-looking red flowers. All designs had either grapevines or wheat as part of the background. Edward wondered if the folk art had something to do with the festival that Catalina mentioned back at the villas.
There was a stand at the very end of the market that caught Edward's attention. Being a bookworm by nature, he headed towards the only stall carrying books. The stall must not be popular seeing that no one was around, including the attendant, but that didn't deter Edward from searching through the books.
As Edward picked one book after another, he realized why the place was deserted. Every book in the stall was about crop techniques or the history of the town. Edward was about to set down the book in his hands but something on the current page caught his attention. In the book, there was a depiction of a painting. To his surprise, the main figure had golden eyes just like his. Edward studied the painting in more detail. The golden-eyed man donned fine clothing. It seemed the artist wanted to depict the man in a way that made him look godly. There was a river of blood in the background. There were also two figures: a man and a woman, who were suspended upside down above the river. Droplets of blood seemed to be falling from their necks and into the river.
Edward set the book down, horrified by what he'd seen. He then took off, deciding to get Winry so they head back to The Red Harvest.
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Catalina welcomed them back with a huge smile. "Everything is ready for our special guests!" she said as she showed them the way to their villa.
*Special guests,* Edward thought, irritated by the constant repetition. Winry gave him a look that made him feel all too conscious about his behavior. "Show us the way, Catalina," he said, deciding to put all negative feelings aside.
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Winry gasped in awe as she contemplated the luxurious building crowning the top of a small hill. Edward whistled, impressed with the facade of the place. "This villa is only reserved for our most special guests," Catalina mentioned with pride.
*Again with the "special guests",* Edward thought to himself, frowning. He and Winry were not special at all, so why must that woman insist on handing out such baseless platitudes?
"Why are we so special?" he spat, unable to hold himself back any longer.
Catalina blinked as if she didn't comprehend the question. A brief moment of silence passed between them before she finally gave an answer. "Only special guests stay at this villa," she said, pretty much repeating what she had said before.
Edward was starting to lose his patience. "Why are we so special?" he stressed.
The harshness of his words made Catalina burst into nervous laughter. "I don't understand signore what is it that you're trying to ask."
"Leave the poor woman alone," Winry warned. "Can't you see how luxurious this place is?" she added as she gestured at the villa. "Honestly, Ed, I don't think just anyone can pay for something like this."
Catalina clasped her hands together. "The signora is correct!" she cried in relief.
Edward glared at her; Winry cleared her throat, which was her way of letting him know to "drop it already". Edward grumbled to himself. The last thing he wanted was to have a fight with Winry before doing the deed. So he decided to go ahead, leaving the women behind.
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As he got closer, Edward noticed red flower bushes surrounding the white villa. The red flowers were the same ones he saw depicted on the trinkets back in Benevolo. The flowers were not like ones he'd ever seen: they look like a cross between a rose and a tiger lily. Edward approached one of the bushes, he was taken by surprise by the oddly sweet scent in the air. The scent was pleasant and it was also making Edward's head spin.
Winry got to him before he lost his balance. "Ed, are you ok?" she asked in a worried tone. "I'm fine," Edward replied as he regained his footing. "Signore, are you okay?" Catalina asked, rushing to their side. "What's with the flowers?" Edward demanded as he put some distance between himself and the flower bushes. "My apologies, signore. I should've warned you about the sogni cremisi." Edward scowled, his belligerent expression urging Catalina to elaborate. "The sogni cremisi is a special bloom that only grows around these parts. Some people get overwhelmed by their sweet scent." She looked from Edward to Winry, and added, "you should be fine as long as you don't go near them."
Catalina walked past Edward and opened the door. "Come, the scent won't reach you in here." Edward and Winry stepped inside; it was true, the sweet scent couldn't be perceived inside the building.
Catalina walked towards the dining room area, giving both Edward and Winry some time to appreciate the lavish interiors. Edward's bad mood vanished almost instantly as he took in the sight of the dinner options.
The spread before them was quite impressive. All sorts of meats were placed in the center; pasta dishes surrounded the meats. Colorful salads accompanied the pasta. Delicate pastries were located at the far end of the spread. Edward's stomach grumbled so loud that both Winry and Catalina looked his way. The woman smiled, pleased with Edward's reaction. "Breakfast will be brought to you at seven, and the official wine tour will begin at nine," she said, and with a knowing grin she added, "We, at The Red Harvest, hope you two have a magical evening." After that, Catalina let herself out in a quiet manner.
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Edward looked up at the starry night and noticed the sky glimmered as brightly as it did back home. Despite the creepiness he encountered in town, and the odd behavior from the hostess of complex, Edward was content. Dinner, as promised, had been magnificent; the shower had been superb. All that was left for him was to finally make love to the love of his life.
Edward decided to contemplate the landscape while he waited for Winry to finish taking a shower. His heart sped up just thinking about what the night would bring; hopefully, things would go smoothly between them. All this time he'd been worried about hurting Winry, but he'd been assured that if he followed certain protocols, Winry would enjoy the first time just as much as he was going to. Edward chuckled; how he let Mustang, Breda and Havoc be his "teachers" was still a mystery to him.
The image of the three men persisted in his mind, so he shook his head hoping the sudden movement would help get rid of them. *It'd been quite the night though,* Edward mused shortly after, thinking back of the night in Mustang's apartment two days before the wedding. Edward shook his head again, realizing his mistake.
Realizing he was getting nowhere, Edward decided to distract himself with something else, so he cast his eyes down to the flower bushes: to the sogni cremisi, as Catalina called them. "Crimson dreams," Edward scoffed.
The flowers did have a fitting name since their sweet smell had the power to make a person lose consciousness. A breeze swished by, carrying the sweet scent of the flowers with it. Edward covered his nose and frowned. *Who was the fucking genius that decided to put these flowers around the building?* Edward thought to himself despite already knowing the answer to that question.
His mood was beginning to sour so he decided to just let it be. He was about to go inside when something about the arrangement of the bushes caught his eye. Edward leaned over the veranda and studied the design. He could've sworn the arrangement made up an alchemical array… *But that couldn't be, now could it?* Edward made a mental note to check the back of the building in the morning to confirm if his suspicions were correct.
"Ed?" Edward turned around when he heard Winry calling him.
From behind the translucent curtain, he could see Winry's figure as she walked about the room. All manner of thought left Edward's brain. He sucked in a breath to calm himself and to regain his composure.
Edward pushed off the veranda and opened the curtain. Winry stopped in place, her mouth parting as she took in his image. Edward smacked his lips in turn.
Winry looked stunning in her white lingerie. "Do you like it?" she asked in a coy voice. Edward simply nodded. They both stood fixed in place—staring at each other— for a few moments.
Edward decided to take the initiative so he walked up to Winry, and without saying a word, he interlaced his hand with hers. His other hand cupped the side of her face. Edward closed his eyes as he searched for her lips. Their tender kissing would set the pace to what would come next.
Winry continued what Edward had started. She tugged Edward towards the bed. Edward studied Winry's face as his hand traveled to her breast. Winry moaned when she felt her hardened nipple between Edward's fingers. "I love you," Edward said as he gently pushed Winry onto the bed. "I love you too," Winry replied, giving her whole self to the man she loved.
A faint bluish glow could be seen from the bedroom windows, both Edward and Winry would've noticed the anomaly but they were far too focused on one another as their interlaced bodies danced to the rhythm of an age-old ritual.
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"Antonio, Antonio!" the girl shouted as she ran up the hill where her brother was at.
"What is it?" Antonio said as he rubbed his eyes. He had been on duty but had fallen asleep against the oak as the evening turned into night. Thankfully, his little sister hadn't.
"Look, look!" Isabella cried while she pointed at the bluish light enveloping the white villa. Antonio opened his mouth in awe as he searched for one of his sister's hands. He looked into her wide brown eyes and smiled. This was Isabella's first time experiencing The Offering—no wonder she hadn't fallen asleep as he did.
Suddenly, the blue light dissipated, only remnants of blue current ran along the contours of the transmutation circle.
"Is it done?" Isabella said with some disappointment.
Antonio remembered asking his mom the same thing the first time he saw the phenomenon. At the time, he'd been expecting the whole villa to disappear. "What do you notice?" he asked his sister as he pointed towards the villa, the way his mom had done for him back then. Isabella looked intently at the villa. Moments later her eyes grew with recognition. "The color! It's not white anymore!" Antonio smiled with brotherly pride. Then, he said, "Rejoice, my dear Bella, for the the red harvest will soon bless our holy land!"
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A/N: I'm a busy person so new chapter upload will be slow but steady.
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Thank you for reading!